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Two women in Rome take a selfie on Sunday, the last day of open restaurants and bars before tighter restrictions are enforced. Photo: Reuters

Coronavirus: Italy in new lockdown as Ireland, Netherlands halt AstraZeneca shots

  • Restrictions in Italy will cover 48 million people and last until Easter
  • AstraZeneca vaccine shrouded in controversy as more countries limit use

Coronavirus restrictions were reimposed across much of Italy on Monday, while Ireland and the Netherlands became the latest countries to suspend AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 shots over blood clot fears despite the firm and the WHO insisting there is no risk.

More than 350 million vaccine doses have been administered globally so far, and the AstraZeneca shot – among the cheapest available – is crucial to roll-outs in poorer parts of the world.

Despite immunisation programmes gathering pace, surges in infections remain a threat and Italian authorities reimposed restrictions on three-quarters of the country until April 6 to suppress an outbreak fuelled by the variant first detected in Britain.

Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Sunday the government hoped these strict measures and ongoing vaccinations would allow a relaxation of curbs later.

“Each dose of vaccine injected is a step in the direction of the way out of the crisis,” he added.

Schools, restaurants, shops and museums will close, including in Rome and Milan, with residents told to stay home except for work, health or other essential reasons.

And while France was hoping to avoid another national lockdown, it was facing a hospital crisis with intensive care beds in the Paris region running out.

The coronavirus has killed more than 2.6 million people around the world, with much of humanity going through varying levels of Covid-19 restrictions.

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AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine under investigation by WHO over blood clot reports

AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine under investigation by WHO over blood clot reports

People have been growing weary of the economically painful curbs, however.

The Netherlands – under tight restrictions including an overnight curfew – was set to begin three days of voting on Monday in a popularity test of the government’s coronavirus policies.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte was set to win another term in office, but opposition to the restrictions was on display on the eve of the vote at The Hague on Sunday as police used water cannon to clear an anti-government protest.

Italy’s coronavirus death toll passes 100,000

As they battle virus surges, health authorities in Italy and France have backed the Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, as several countries suspended use of the shot over fears it causes side effects such as blood clots.

Ireland and the Netherlands stopped giving out the shot on Sunday, joining Denmark, Norway and Bulgaria.

But the World Health Organization, Europe’s medicines watchdog, AstraZeneca and experts have stressed that the jab was safe and that there was no evidence linking it to the clots.

The AstraZeneca shot forms the bulk of doses being sent to poorer countries under the WHO-backed Covax scheme, which aims to ensure vaccines reach all parts of the world.

The United States, meanwhile, has ramped up its vaccination programme after a stumbling start, with more than 107 million doses administered in the world’s worst-hit nation.

WHO says no reason not to use AstraZeneca’s vaccine

Its top pandemic adviser Anthony Fauci said authorities were considering cutting social distancing rules to a metre, from the widely accepted 1.8-metre (6 feet) global guideline.

Experts at the US Centers for Disease Control were examining a study that found “no substantial difference” in cases at schools observing six-foot and three-foot separations, Fauci told CNN.

New York – the US city most bereaved by the virus – marked the one-year anniversary of the pandemic with a tribute on Sunday to its 30,258 dead, with candles lit on the famous Brooklyn Bridge.

New Yorkers who have died during the pandemic were projected onto the Brooklyn Bridge. Photo: Reuters

Distancing requirements are a core issue in discussions around the world on reopening schools, with many claiming the 1.8-metre requirement made it difficult to resume classes without adding portable classrooms or shortening the school day.

Joe Biden offers US hope for July 4, but ‘fight’ not over

Many teachers’ unions have also insisted on a 1.8 metre distancing.

Remote learning through the internet has been one option, but it has proved difficult to implement in less wealthy nations where many families do not have internet access or devices such as computers, smartphones and tablets.

“The rich have everything they need,” said Maria Fe Morallos, a 10th-grade student in the Philippines who cannot afford a smartphone.

“It’s hard for the poor because we don’t have a gadget or the money to buy it.”

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